By the way, I don't think I've put ages in yet, so here they are if anyone was wondering: Prue: 16, Piper: 15, Leo: 15, Phoebe: 11, Paige: 8.

Chapter 4 - By My Side

Piper was sat in one of the plastic blue chairs, her face still damp from crying even though her eyes were now dry. Paige and Phoebe were looking around the room, occasionally stopping to stare at someone they found extremely strange looking. Prue was pacing up and down in front of them, going to the front desk every fifteen minutes and asking for news. Leo was sat next to Piper, trying his hardest to keep their spirits up, talking and joking.

"What exactly is she so stressed about?" Prue burst out suddenly. "I mean, sure, raising us at her age can't be great, but we're not that bad, are we?"

"I don't know, Prue, you have you moments." Leo joked, earning himself a icy look. "Just kidding." He murmured. "Are you OK?" He asked Piper in an undertone.

If anyone else had asked her that question, she would have bit their head off - of course she wasn't OK, she may be about to lose her grams. But Piper just shook her head.

"What if - what if she doesn't make it?" She whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Of course she will. Your grams can't be beaten by something like this. She puts up with you lot, doesn't she?" He half-heartedly joked.

"But what if -"

"Shh. Don't think like that, OK? Sheesh, always the negative side with you, isn't it?" His jokes were strained, his smile forced, but his concern and sympathey genuine, and for that, Piper was greatful. She was aslo strangly glad of the constant hugs and hand-squeezes he was sending her way - for some reason, every time he touched her, her stomach jolted.

Nerves, of course.

Piper smiled at him, and caught sight of a doctor walk towards the reception desk and say something to the receptionist, who nodded and pointed in their direction. She jumped to her feet as he walked towards them, and opened her mouth - but Prue got their first.

"Is she OK?"

"Are you Penelope Halliwell's relatives?" He asked.

"Her grandaughters, yes." Prue said. "Is she OK?"

"She's stable, yes. She had a heart attack, but luckily it wasn't too serious, but we need to keep her in for observation."

"Can we see her?" Piper asked. The doctor glanced over the group before him.

"I'm not sure it would be wise for you all to -"

"You two go, I'll watch these two." Leo interrupted quickly.

"Very well, this way please." The doctor said, and Piper mouthed "thank you" to Leo as she followed Prue and the doctor. He really was a great friend. A great person, in fact. And if she hadn't grown up with him and seen him cry when his mother told him he couldn't dress up as Bugs Bunny for Hallowe'en when he was four, or witnessed him puke after too many easter eggs when he was eight, she might even think of him as a potential boyfriend -

No, don't think like that. Piper scolded herself quickly. What is wrong with me?

"Grams?" Prue asked as the two of them entered the room. The doctor left them alone, and the two girls sat on either side of the bed.

"Hi." Piper said nervously. "So, how's things with you?" Grams atempted a laugh, that came out weak and scratchy.

"Oh, Grams, we're so sorry." Prue said.

"F-for what?" Grams croaked.

"For everything we've put you through." Prue wailed. "For stressing you so much you - you -"

"Prue, don't blame yourself." Grams croaked. "It's nothing to do with you. It's one of those things. When you get old ..." Her voice trailed off.

"You're not that old." Piper said, to break the awkward silence. "Really ..."

"He was hit by the ugly stick a few times." Leo whispered to Phoebe and Paige, back in the waiting room. Both girls giggled loudly, and the receptionist sent them another look. At this rate, they'd be thrown out of the hospital.

Before anymore could be said, Prue and Piper appeared back in the waiting room, looking around for them. As he caught sight of Piper, Leo felt his stomach jump again. Why was it that ever time he looked at her, he felt nervous? The whole stomach-doing-backflips-and-heart-rate-through-the-roof thing was seriously weird when it was over your best friend in the whole world. If he didn't know any better, he might think -

"Hi." Piper siad, suddenly in front of him.

"Uh - Hi -" He mumbled, startled.

"Ready to go?" Prue asked, and as the younger two started complaining that they wanted to see Grams, Leo just stared at Piper. She was really pretty. And funny. And smart. And -

"Come on." She said. "Wakey-wakey." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, and he felt his whole arm tingling. She paused for a split second - had she felt it too? - but the next moment, she started to walk.